Special Shivaratri this year

Bangalore: This Maha Shivaratri was special for devotees since it was on a Monday after a long time. Monday is called the day of Lord Shiva.
Lakhs of devotees celebrated the occasion through the night; people thronged the famous Gavi Gangadhareshwara Swamy temple in Basavanagudi till late into Tuesday morning. They stood in long queues to get a glimpse of Lord Shiva."The temple sees thousands of devotees every Shivaratri. They wait for a glimpse of the Lord as well as for the prasadam. People feel blessed on this day," a temple official said.
Shivaratri is the `abhisheka' or coronation of Shiva's linga. People pour milk on the linga as a mark of purity. Lore has it that women who pour milk on the linga get husbands as glorious as Shiva.
The Shiva temple on Old Airport Road created a special `Gangalinga' and devotees did a `Ganga snan parikrama'. They also played games such as `Shivaratri ka crorepati', `Shiva quiz' and `Shiva tambola'.
Sharana Sangama organized a music ensemble; Manjula Paramesh and troupe held a classical dance drama, and BY Yashwanth Sar Deshpande performed a series of comic Kannada skits. A local group also sang patriotic songs.